Tribological behavior of composite-steel on rolling/sliding contacts for various loads

Composites have replaced metals in the bearing industry for the exclusive performances from its properties were it can accommodate resins, fabrics and additives. Roll-slip is common behaviors in application were non-conformal contact exhibits like bearings, rollers and cams. Two elements control the tribological behavior of the material which is the rolling and the sliding element. Composite-steel contacts were tested using a twin-disc setup with open tribo-system to study the influence of load on the frictional behavior of the polymer composites. The contacts were tested with four different loads under 20% slip ratio for a regular interval of time. The curves from the friction force with respect to different loads follows a tendency of linear increase in friction force were the rolling resistance is the dominating mechanism. For the given condition the macro level investigations shows the absence of transfer layer on the steel counterparts. The tendency of the friction curve and the micrograph explicitly deliberates the involvement of abrasion and adhesion in the harder polymer from metal counterpart. The temperature variable is isolated in case of the above research. The examination of the contact surface reveals the formation of craters on the junction of polymer and textile

Alkali treatment and its effect on tribological properties of naturally woven coconut sheath polyester composite

In the recent years natural fibres have drawn great interest for its bio-degradability, low cost and its availability in nature. Among different types of natural fibres, naturally woven coconut sheath fibres are one of the recently explored alternatives for synthetic fibres. These fibres are generally treated with alkali for enhancing mechanical properties and reinforcing characteristics. Tribological applications like gears, cams, bearings, etc. can be benefited from such composites. In most cases chemical treatment are done favouring the structural properties however, their influence on tribological properties are rather not considered. In the current research, hybrid composites (polyester resin with naturally woven coconut sheath (N) and glass fibres (G)) were tested against hardened steel counterface in a pin on disc configuration. Tests were performed at 40 N normal force and 3.5 m/s sliding velocity. From the results all hybrid combinations except (NNN) shows degrading wear properties with the alkaline treatment. The friction properties are modified by having low friction coefficients for all combinations except NGN and GGG hybrids. From the observed SEM images the surface morphology of NNN hybrid significantly differs from the rest of the combinations in both treated and untreated specimens. The partial removal of individual phase (resin) prevails in untreated specimen for which the fibres are highly visible. However, such phenomenon is not dominant in the alkali treated material showing better reinforcing behaviour complimenting low friction properties. The alkali treated specimen has reduced fibre size comparing the untreated specimen which results in low wear resistance. Compromise between friction and wear properties between each other the untreated fibres are best suited for tribological applications. Furthermore, investigations on treatment process and other treatments might have some influence in tribological behaviour

Remote data acquisition for condition monitoring of wind turbines

While the number of offshore wind turbines is growing and turbines getting bigger and more expensive, the need for good condition monitoring systems is rising. From the research it is clear that failures of the gearbox, and in particular the gearwheels and bearings of the gearbox, have been responsible for the most downtime of a wind turbine. Gearwheels and bearings are being simulated in a multi-sensor environment to observe the wear on the surface

Effect of velocity on roll/slip for low and high load conditions in polymer composite

In the last decade polymer composites are often used without lubrication on both low and high speed applications. Some of the application areas are marine, automotive and agriculture used as bearings and cams where roll-slip is the dominant mechanism. Limited studies are made for composites relating such applications where rolling/sliding condition influences the tribological behavior of the material. Investigating the roll-slip phenomenon for identifying the influence of velocity on frictional behavior can mark a boundary to map the use of composites with respect to its application. Moreover, the design of the material can be optimized to match the operating conditions. In the current research the polymer composite (with polyester matrix) has been tested under rolling-sliding condition for two different loads with 61N and 210N and with different speeds ranging from 10 rpm to 700 rpm. Ideal conditions in terms of roughness, slip ratio, surface temperature and ambient temperature were maintained to reduce the frictional heating. Using a 20% slip ratio the behavior of the material was observed for the tribological characteristics where the rate of increase of friction force follows a exponential pattern with increasing speeds. Nevertheless, on testing with high speeds a steady rate of increase in the friction curve was observed. Friction behavior of composites under different speeds is briefed with the microstructural characteristics for low and high loads

Tribological behaviour of polymer bearings under dry and water lubrication

This study attempts to evaluate the performance of polymer journal bearings (PET and UHMWPE) sliding against Inconel stainless steel in both dry and lubricated condition. Four types of ‘lubricant’ are included: distilled water; demineralized water; tap water and river water. The tests were carried out in a so called “Stribeck” configuration with a projected pressure of about 0.3 MPa at room temperature and sliding speed ranging from 0 to 1.07 m/s respectively. The study indicates that polymer bearings with four types of water lubricant give better tribological behaviour compared to those in dry sliding contact. Besides, with water lubrication, UHMWPE shows low friction at starting, but it does not go down much over the course of the tests. Meanwhile, although PET indicates quite higher friction at the beginning, it then shows a clearly decreasing trend

Dry sliding wear properties of Jute/polymer composites in high loading applications

In the last few decades natural fiber composites has gained its importance due to its low cost and their availability as additives with minimal processing. Amongst the various natural sources the Jute fiber is chosen in the present research due to its fiber structure and good physical and mechanical properties. In this background natural fiber composites of unsaturated polyester were reinforced with jute fibers. While most research on green composites focuses on the structural characteristics, the present work investigates the suitability of the material to be used as a tribocomposite. Tailor made hybrid composites were made with chemically treated (NaOH) jute fiber and 2 wt % PTFE filler (tribo lubricant) to obtain the better tribological characteristics in high loading condition. Tribotests were performed on flat on flat configuration where 100Cr6 steel was used as counterface material. A pv limit of 400 MPa-mm/s (10KN and 100 mm/s) was attainedin a flat-on-flat configuration for studying the tribological properties. The static and dynamic coefficient of friction was found to be 0.15 and 0.07 respectively.An exponential increase in temperature was observed throughout the test. The material failure was observed within 500 m of sliding distance where pulverization of matrix due to thermal degradation is evident. Wear mechanisms such as fiber breakage, polymer degradation, fiber thinning and fiber separation was observed. From the present investigation the low cost Jute fabric composites havinglow frictional coefficient seemed to be a alternative to the bearing materials working at higher contact pressure and low velocity

Abrasive wear behaviour of 27MnB5 steel used in agricultural tines

Understanding the wear mechanisms in wear parts is a crucial element of tribological investigation, particularly in agricultural applications where the knowledge about abrasive micro-mechanisms of soil engaging tools are limited. In the current research, symmetrical skew wedge cultivator tines of 27MnB5 steel were wear tested to investigate the change in mass, linear dimensions, hardness and microstructure, aiming at prolonging the lifetime of these parts through design and material. The wear mechanisms were identified and characterized by non-contact 3D optical profilometry. Test results clearly shows a zone specific wear micro-mechanism based on the tine geometry. The cutting edge of the tine can be segmented into micro-cutting and micro-ploughing zone. Vickers hardness and microstructural analysis were performed on the cross-section of the sliding interface. Tribolayer was observed on the worn surface. Degree of penetration from the wear scratches was calculated to justify the wear micro-mechanisms. A Discrete Element Method (DEM) model was developed to investigate the soil flow during the tillage process. The model results and field test wear scars are in good agreement with each other with respect to the wear patterns